This application is based application No. 233449/2000 filed in Japan, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a toner replenishing container for use in image forming apparatuses such as copiers, printers and the like for supplying toner to the same. More particularly, the invention relates to a toner replenishing container with a cap member attached to a mouth of a container body storing toner therein, the container adapted for a positive supply of a proper type of toner to any one of the various types of image forming apparatuses in an application where plural toner replenishing containers are individually filled with any one of the various types of toners different in color or the like for toner supply to the various types of image forming apparatuses.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the conventional image forming apparatuses such as copiers, printers and the like, the following procedure is taken to replenish toner to the apparatuses. The procedure includes the steps of filling a toner replenishing container with toner, and loading the toner replenishing container in the image forming apparatus for supplying the toner from the toner replenishing container to the image forming apparatus.
The toner for use in the image forming apparatuses is generally varied depending upon the types of the image forming apparatuses. Accordingly, it has been a conventional practice to vary the configuration or the like of the toner replenishing container for toner storage depending upon the types of the image forming apparatuses used.
Unfortunately, a great number of various toner replenishing containers are required if the toner replenishing container is varied in configuration or the like depending upon the types of the image forming apparatuses used. This leads not only to high production costs but also to a cumbersome management of the containers. Furthermore, the reuse of such toner containers requires the toner containers to be filled with the same type of toners as the previous toners. As a result, an efficient reuse of the toner containers is not accomplished.
In this connection, it has been contemplated to design the toner replenishing containers for toner storage in a regular configuration and size such that the toner containers of a kind may store different types of toners so as to be shared by the image forming apparatuses.
However, the following problem is encountered by the toner replenishing containers of the regular configuration and size which store different types of toners. In the replenishment of toner to an image forming apparatus via a toner replenishing container, an improper type of toner may be inadvertently supplied to the apparatus.
More recently, a countermeasure against such a problem has been proposed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,059 wherein a non-compatible member is removably attached to the toner container, the non-compatible member formed with an engagement portion configured differently depending upon the type or color of toner to be stored in the toner container.
In the approach wherein the toner container is provided with the non-compatible member formed with the engagement portion varied in configuration depending upon the type or color of the toner, there are required a great number of non-compatible members of various configurations. This still results in the high production costs and the cumbersome management of the non-compatible members.
It is an object of the invention to provide toner replenishing containers of a kind capable of storing various toners of different colors or the like for supplying various toners to various types of image forming apparatuses, the toner containers featuring a simple structure added thereto thereby ensuring that the toner replenishing containers are prevented from supplying improper types of toners to the image forming apparatuses.
According to the invention, the toner replenishing container for supplying toner to the image forming apparatus comprises:
a container body for storing toner therein; a cap member attached to a mouth of the container body, the cap member having a toner outlet port and a shutter member for opening/closing the toner outlet port; and an indication member removably attachable to the cap member.
The position and the number of the indication member to be attached to the cap member are varied depending upon the type of toner stored in the container body. Further, the indication member thus attached to the cap member provides determination as to whether the toner replenishing container may be loaded on a toner supply portion of the image forming apparatus or not.
The arrangement permits the type of toner stored in the toner replenishing container to be readily identified based on the position and the number of indication member(s) thus attached. Furthermore, the indication member prevents the toner replenishing container from being loaded on a wrong one of the toner supply portions of the image forming apparatus.
The arrangement is made such that the indication member to be attached to the cap member is varied in the position and the number thereof depending upon the type of toner stored in the container body. Therefore, a simple arrangement permits the type of toner stored in the toner replenishing container to be distinguished. In addition, the containers are adapted to store different types of toners in a manner to distinctively present the contents thereof through mere variations of the position and the number of the indication members. Hence, the general versatility of the toner replenishing container is enhanced.
These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate a specific embodiment of the invention.